EVENING. People.

Judge Delays Ruling In Case Of Shootings At U.s. Capitol

June 18, 1999

A federal judge postponed a decision Friday on whether Russell Weston Jr. should be forced to take drugs that doctors believe could make him mentally fit to stand trial in the killing of two Capitol Police officers last year.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered officials at the Federal Corrections Center in Butner, N.C., to hold further proceedings before he makes a decision.

Weston, 42, is charged with murdering Capitol Police officers John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut in the Capitol on July 24, 1998. Sullivan committed Weston to the Butner facility May 5 for treatment after determining he was incompetent to stand trial.

Defense attorneys have filed papers arguing that forcing Weston to take medication could violate his constitutional rights and could have harmful mental and physical effects.

Prosecutors contend Weston knew what he was doing when he shot the officers. Investigators believe Weston was planning an attack on the federal government for at least five days before the killings.